Communication outlets are commonly used in building construction for housing communication and entertainment equipment such as telephone, computer and internet connections and television cable connections. Communication connections typically include a box supporting a wall plate having a communication outlet where the box is mounted to a building stud. The box is often located next to an electrical outlet box containing a power receptacle. Current building codes do not allow power and communication cables in the same box without a physical barrier between them. This generally results in two separate boxes being required, which increase the expense and labor for the installation.
Electrical boxes used for communication cables are often used in connection with an electrical box where the boxes are ganged together. The ganged boxes enable mounting of two or more electrical devices. The ganged boxes are generally connected together by screws or other fasteners to comply with the building codes. The ganged boxes result in an increased expense and labor to conform to the building codes.
Various devices have been proposed for forming a barrier between high voltage wiring devices and low voltage communication cables. One example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,594,207 to Fabian et al. This device includes a box having a self-locking divider made of a flat sheet metal that can be inserted to form separate compartments. The electrical box has upper and lower ledges which form aligned slots to receive the divider plate.
Another device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,677,512 to Ford et al. which discloses a mounting bracket for electrical outlets and low voltage units. The bracket has a border with a central opening to fit one or more receptacles and one or more low voltage units. The bracket has a snap-off alignment bar to align the receptacle. Protruding wiring flanges provide support for the low voltage wires and cabling.
A gangable low voltage bracket for electrical devices is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,508,445 to Rohmer. The bracket is a low voltage old work bracket that can be ganged into a two gang or three gang assembly without modification of the bracket. The sides of the bracket are staggered to enable the first side wall from the second bracket to fit over the second side wall of the first bracket. Corresponding tongues and grooves hold the ganged brackets together. The brackets can include a wire retention tab and a pair of swing arms on opposing corners of the bracket frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,790,031 to Vaughn discloses a support attached to a stud for supporting a plurality of electrical boxes. The support includes parallel support arms extending between the studs and having a plurality of perforations. The electrical box is mounted to the support arms. Plates are mounted on the support arms and fixed to the support arms by a wire fastener that extends through the plates and the perforations in the arm.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005/0067546 to Dinh discloses an elongated mounting bracket that can be attached to a cross member extending between adjacent wall studs. The adapter plate has an integrally formed mud ring and is attached to the bracket for supporting an electrical box. The adapter plate has a fixed opening which limits the number of wiring devices that can be mounted.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0051312 to Daniels et al. discloses a modular wall cover system. The wall cover includes a cover plate assembly formed from a plurality of different cover plates that are coupled together and attached within a frame. The plates are assembled together for supporting different electrical devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,598,998 to Lynn discloses a bracket for use in conjunction with an electrical outlet box for attaching a low voltage device. The bracket has a C shape that is attached to the building stud and surrounds the electrical box. The opening in the C-shaped frame has a dimension to receive the electrical box and the low voltage device adjacent the electrical box.
The above described devices have generally been acceptable for their intended use. However, there is a continuing need in the industry for an improved mounting system for wiring devices.